


Back to Square One, First Base, and All of Those Other Things

by larrystylickson



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Clueless Peter, Slow Burn, post homecoming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-08 03:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13449135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larrystylickson/pseuds/larrystylickson
Summary: After a particularly hard fall in gym class of all places, Peter wakes up in the hospital with the wind knocked out of him, along with all his memories for the past two-odd years.May doesn't know what to do, Tony tries to fix it in all the wrong ways, and Ned is mostly appalled at how far behind his best friend is in the Star Wars Cinematic Universe.While everyone else is busy arguing amongst themselves about how to deal with this, Peter is finding out once again everything Spider-Man has the power to do.





	1. 0.1

 

When Peter woke up, his head was killing him. The florescent lights weren’t helping. The first thing that came to his mind was water. The second, the obvious observation that he was in a hospital. That came as a mild surprise, as he hadn’t been in a hospital in two or three months. Looking around, Peter wondered what he could have done to himself. At thirteen and going through a growth spurt, he was aware of how clumsy he was and knew he must have somehow tripped over his own two feet. 

 

Whatever Peter did to himself, he still felt healthy. In one swift motion, he wiggled his fingers, toes, and swept his tough across his teeth.

 

Yep. Still there.

 

Although he was curious as to where everyone _was_. In the movies, when people woke up in the hospital, they were always surrounded by a plethora of nurses, family, and friends. As Peter looked around the room, the only thing he noticed was how empty it was. May and Ben were probably at work, no less to pay for this hospital bill, and Ned would be at school. 

 

Peter didn’t really have anyone else that would come visit him in the hospital. 

 

He guessed he wasn’t a very critical patient, because nobody came rushing into his room exclaimed “Peter you’re _awake_!”

 

Although at the thought that he would like to know what he’s doing here, he cautiously pressed a little blue button attached to a wire near his bed. That would most likely do something. 

 

Not three minutes later, a nurse quietly slipped in to the room. 

 

“Hello Mr. Parker, I see you’ve woken up.” Said the nurse. Peter blushed and looked down. She was really quite pretty.

 

“Um. Yeah.”

 

“How are you feeling?” She smiled warmly at him.

 

“Good. I think. My head kinda hurts, though.” Peter stumbled over his words, not really knowing what to say. He kind of wished May was here, so she could do the talking for him.

 

“It would, you took quite the knock to the head there.” 

 

“What?” Peter asked, sheepishly. 

 

“Do you not remember? It’s pretty common for you to not remember a blow to the head like that, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Do you remember going to class?” She nurse asked. Peter was trying to look her in the eyes so he wouldn’t seem like a baby, but he wasn’t used to pretty women asking him questions.

 

“No. I think the last thing I remember was yesterday. I remember coming home from school and going to sleep.” Peter said, confident in his recollections. 

 

“Was that Tuesday?” Asked the nurse, she was checking the chart at the foot of Peter’s bed.

 

“No.” Peter frowned. “I’m pretty sure that was a Thursday, wasn’t it?” 

 

“Yesterday was a Tuesday, Peter. Are you sure you’re remembering that right?” The nurse sounded sympathetic with Peter, but he was concerned she was just treating him like a little kid.

 

He felt like a little kid, because he really missed his aunt.

 

“I think it was a Thursday. I remember because I was supposed to have band class after school, but it was cancelled.” Peter was convinced of his thoughts, and he felt there was no reason to lie to the nurse about that.

 

“Peter, can you state your full name for me?”

 

Peter rolled his eyes.

 

“Peter Benjamin Parker.”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Thirteen.”

 

The pretty nurse’s eyes widened. 

 

“Peter, the doctor will be with you soon, okay? We’re also going to call your mom.”

 

“She’s my aunt.” Peter said.

 

“Sorry, honey, your aunt then.” With that, the nurse hurried out of the room. 

 

Peter felt alone again, but also pretty confused. He couldn’t fathom what he said that would send the nurse bolting from the room the way she did. She didn’t leave him with anything to do, and the hospital room didn’t even have a TV. His head still hurt, so Peter closed his eyes, and hoped that the next time he woke up something more interesting would be happening.

 

The next thing he remembered was the sound of the door opening. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, smiling to see May in front of him. He was relieved to know that he wouldn’t have to talk to the doctor alone. 

 

Speaking of, she seemed to be talking to him already. They were talking in hushed tones, and didn’t seem to notice that Peter had woken up. 

 

Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. That sent four eyes in his direction. 

 

May was over by his side in a split second. 

 

“Peter, honey, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I had to go into work, and I knew that you’d be okay on your own.” May winked at him when she said that, which was just weird. Weird and confusing. 

 

“It’s okay. I feel pretty okay.” Peter smiled at his aunt, happy he wouldn’t have to worry about anything now that she’s around.

 

Unfortunately, the doctor decided that he needed to speak directly to Peter.

 

“Hi Peter, my name is Dr. Freeman. From what the nurse said it seems you were feeling a little off earlier, do you feel a bit better now?” Peter frowned, he didn’t think he was feeling off earlier, unless the doctor was talking about his headache. 

 

“My headache isn’t as bad, I guess.” Peter offered.

 

“That’s wonderful Mr. Parker, but I’m wondering if you can answer a few questions for me.”

 

Peter hated this.

 

“Yeah, okay.”

 

“Can you tell me your full legal name?”

 

Peter can’t help but feel that this is really, very useless.

 

“Peter Benjamin Parker.”

 

“And how old are you, Peter?”

 

“Thirteen.”

 

May began to squirm uncomfortably, which made Peter nervous. He looked at her, but she gave him an encouraging look nonetheless.

 

“What is the last thing you remember?” 

 

“Yesterday. Band class was cancelled, so I came home, ate dinner, and went to bed.” 

 

“Can you tell me what the date was yesterday?” The doctor asked, tentatively. 

 

“February 12th.”

 

“Of what year?”  


“2015.”

 

Peter heard a sharp intake of breath from his aunt. 

 

Something was wrong, Peter thought. Something was very wrong.

 

“Peter…” said the doctor calmly, in that something-has-gone-very-wrong voice that Peter only hears doctors use on TV. “It seems you’re suffering from a case of retrograde amnesia.”

 

Peter looked at his aunt. She gave him a tearful smile, holding out her hand for him to squeeze. He took it, gladly. 

 

“Do you know what that means, Peter?” asked the doctor.

 

“I think…” Peter paused. He could barely process what he was hearing. “I think so. I’ve forgotten stuff?”  


“Yes, Peter. That’s basically it. Right now, you’re unable to remember a portion of your memories. In most cases, the memories do return with time. Sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once.”

 

Aunt May piped in.

 

“Do memories always return?”

 

“Not always, however those cases are the anomaly. I wouldn’t worry about that for now. We have no reason to think Peter won’t fully recover.” The doctor smiled at May. 

 

Peter didn’t realize he was holding his breath until it all came out at once. Aunt May still looked worried, but she usually did, these days. Peter stopped listening at that point, although he did find it hard. His hearing had been extraordinary since he woke. 

 

Maybe he had a concussion or something.

 

All Peter really wanted to do was go home and play Pokemon Black 2, which he had been getting through over the past week. Although as quickly as he had that thought, he realized he had most likely finished it already.

 

Well that just sucked. Maybe Ned remembers how he completed the game though, so that gave him some piece of mind. He was still friends with Ned, right?

 

That would be a stupid question to even ask, Ned was his ride or die. 

 

“May?” Peter said, interrupting whatever conversation his aunt was having with the doctor.

 

Both May and Dr. Freeman stoped talking to look at Peter, and suddenly he felt a lot smaller. 

 

“If I have to stay here overnight, do you think Ned could come visit?” 

 

Aunt May looked at Dr. Freeman, who didn’t seem to care either way for Peter’s question.

 

“We’re keeping you here overnight for observation, Peter, but visiting hours are already over.” Dr. Freeman said.

 

“Oh.” Peter frowned. He looked at the clock, and it was almost 8pm. “Do you think I could just call him then?” Peter directed this question at his aunt. 

 

Before May could answer, Dr. Freeman’s beeper went off, and the doctor excused themselves, showing both Peter and May what button to press if they need anything. Once the doctor had left, Peter found himself asking again.

 

“So?” He asked.

 

“Yes, Peter you can talk to Ned.” May said warily. “I’m going to talk to him first though, just so he knows what’s going on.”

Peter was okay with that, as long as he got to talk to Ned and be filled in. This was probably the coolest thing that had ever happened to them! 

 

I mean, unless he had missed something, but he doubted it.

 

May stepped out of the room and began speaking in hushed tones. Oddly enough, Peter could still make out a few words. 

 

“Do you promise not to mention it?” His aunt said into the phone.

 

“Not from what Peter says sometimes.” 

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

May walked back into the room, arm outstretched with the phone being handed off to Peter. The boy took it eagerly from her.

 

“Hey Ned.”

 

“Hey, Peter.” Said Ned. He sounded strange. Maybe even sad? No. 

 

Confused? 

 

Peter couldn’t put his finger on it.

 

“So, what have I missed these past couple years? Other than your voice dropping an octave.”

 

“Erm…not much.” 

 

Peter could tell that was a lie.

 

“Okay, I may be have delusional and not know anything from the past 2 years but I still know when my best friend is lying to me.”

 

Silence.

 

“Are we still friends?” Peter’s heart started to race.

 

“What?” Said Ned. “I’m offended you would even _ask_ that, Peter.”

 

“Thank God. So, are cool yet? We must be like, sophomores now.”

 

“No. I think we’ve learned to accept it more now, though.” 

 

Peter was glad to hear that.

 

“Do either of us have girlfriends?” Peter asked eagerly. Aunt May snorted from her seat in the corner of the room. 

 

“You almost did.”

 

Peter frowned.

“Almost? What happened?” 

 

Silence, again.

 

“She, uh.” Ned paused. “She had to move away.”

 

“Oh.” Peter said soberly. “Sounds serious.”

 

“It was.” Ned said, but Peter could hear that Ned was smiling. “Her dad had to go to jail!”

 

“Woah.” Said Peter. “What for?”

 

“I, uh.” Ned wasn’t smiling anymore. “I don’t really know.”

 

Neither of them said anything for a minute.

 

“I should probably go, I have a bio test tomorrow and haven’t studied at all.” Ned said sheepishly.

 

“Oh, yeah, go….do that.” Said Peter.

 

“Will you be home tomorrow?” Asked Ned.

 

“I…I don’t know. Probably?”

 

“Cool. Maybe we can watch movies after school or something?” Ned asked.

 

That made Peter feel a lot better. 

 

“Yeah! I don’t know if I’ll actually go to school or not, but you should totally come over after. If I don’t have my memories back, we should watch all my favourite movies from the past two years.”

 

“Oh my god.” Said Ned.

 

“What?”

 

“Peter, have you not seen any of the new Star Wars movies?”

 

“Oh my god.” Peter agreed. 

 

“Okay, I’ll be there tomorrow right after school. See you then.”

 

Ned hung up. 

 

Aunt May came over to Peter’s bedside, taking her phone from him. 

 

“Why don’t you go to sleep, Peter. You’ll need to be extra healthy tomorrow if the doctor is going to let you go home.” 

 

Something in her voice sounded like sarcasm, but that wouldn’t make any sense.

 

Peter must really have a concussion.

“Okay, May.” Peter smiled up at his aunt. He closed his eyes slowly. As they were closed, he heard her shuffle back over to her chair.

 

“May?”

 

“Yes, Peter?”

 

“I haven’t really missed much at all, have I?” He grinned to himself.

 

May sighed.

 

“You could say that.”


	2. 0.2

 

When Peter woke up the next morning, questions began to flood his mind. Although he managed to remember where he was, and how he got there, his main question laid in the empty seat next to his sleeping aunt.

 

Where was Uncle Ben?

 

Yesterday, the question had barely crossed his mind. It was an easy one to write off when there was so much going on, and it made sense that Ben wasn’t there. It’s not like they had a lot of money, and Peter’s uncle would often leave before Peter woke up and not be home until after he had fallen asleep. 

 

Peter had been actively avoiding the thought of how his aunt and uncle were going to pay for this hospital visit, but it was the only thing that explained away Uncle Ben. How could Ben take a day off when hospital visits cost…Peter didn’t even know how much.

 

Still, Peter couldn’t help but wonder if it was something he had done that kept his Uncle from hiss bedside. 

 

The next few hours were a bit of a blur in Peter’s mind. Dr. Freeman came back in the room, asking him the same stupid questions Peter had been asked ever since he woke up in the stupid hospital. 

 

Despite the fact that Peter remembered the exact same amount he had the day before, the doctor discharged him. Peter thought that might have something to do with the fact he was certain their health insurance didn’t cover a longer stay. 

 

Still, peter was happy to go home. He was also happy that May had brought the car, even though their apartment was only a few blocks away. Despite the fact that he was able to walk, his head still felt funny. Almost like his sense were on overdrive.

 

The apartment was virtually the same. Everything was in the same place, but Peter did noticed they had a new toaster. 

 

“Peter, hon, there’s some leftover takeout in the fridge, why don’t you eat that while I clean up your room for you?” May shouted from the other room.

 

“Okay!” Peter said. “Wait, why would you clean my room?” Peter said, while pulling the styrofoam takeout boxes out of the refrigerator. His aunt had never been one to do his chores for him, even when he had the flu that one time and puked all over his bedsheets.

 

As Peter waited for the microwave to warm up the food, he heard May running across the hall, multiple times. Right as the microwave began to beep, he heard his aunt fall in the hallway. 

 

“I’m okay!” Shouted May, but Peter was already standing above her. Scattered around her, Peter saw flashes of blue and red fabric, but she quickly pulled it into an opaque laundry basket before he could get a good look at what she was carrying.

 

“Are you doing laundry?” Peter asked, helping his aunt of the ground. She was was surprisingly light, and he accidentally yanked her to her feet. “Oops. Sorry. Have you lost weight or am I just really strong?”

 

“Peter!” May scolded “You should never ask anyone about their weight, it’s rude. And yes, I’ve picked your laundry off of the floor in case you feel sick and throw up or something, you’re probably in no state to clean up after yourself.”

 

The way she spoke reminded Peter of when she used to read him bedtime stories. Aunt May always tried her best, but she always read them in a way that was broken, because she never read ahead. Ever since Peter forgot everything, he thought it sounded like his aunt didn’t know what she was going to say next.

 

Things were weird around here.

 

Did something happen?

 

He’d have to ask Uncle Ben about it when he came home.

 

“Why don’t you go eat that food and go to sleep.” May said as she hiked the laundry bin up to her hip. It looked heavy, and Peter wondered if his laundry could really weight that much. “I’ll wake you when Ned gets here.”

 

Peter thought that sounded like a good idea, so that’s what he did. 

 

Hours later, Peter wasn’t woken up by his aunt, but by his best friend. Ned was whispering Peter’s name, and was almost uncomfortably close to his face. 

 

“Ahhh.” Peter groaned. “I was hoping you’d gotten nicer in the last two years, but obviously not.”

 

“Hey! What was mean about that?” Ned griped. “You’re the one being mean to me. I could walk right out of this apartment right now.”

 

“So what?” Peter smirked, as he pulled himself out of bed. “Do it. See if I care.” 

 

“Fine. I’ll go and take all three new Star Wars movies with me.” Ned began to fake walk out of Peter’s room when Peter tackled him to the ground. 

 

“Ow!” Shouted Ned. Peter had knocked his friend to the ground harder than he thought was possible. “You trying to give me amnesia too?” Ned asked from the ground.

 

“Ohmygod I’m sorry.” Peter said, sheepishly jumping off of Ned. “Do you have any idea why I am so ridiculously ripped now? I obviously don’t know my own strength.” Peter smirked, flexing his muscles at his friend.

 

“Sure it’s not just your right arm?” Ned asked, pulling himself back up to his feet.

 

“Yeah, your MOM’S right hand!” 

 

“God.” Groaned Ned. “I can tell you still think you’re 13.”

 

Peter didn’t respond, knowing anything he did say would probably prove Ned’s point further.

 

“Are you ready for an out of body experience?” Asked Ned.

 

“Oh man, they’re good right. Not like the prequels?” Peter asked. 

 

Ned just smirked. 

 

Two hours and one viewing of _Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens_ later, Ned and Peter were lounging on a popcorn covered couch, the later in complete awe of what he had just seen. 

 

“I feel like I’m betraying every law of the universe by saying so, but BB8 is a way better robot than R2-D2. Or, actually, maybe not better, but defiantly nicer. R2-D2 is kind of mean.” Peter was talking both to Ned and himself, trying to make sense of everything he had just seen. 

 

“Can we watch episode 8 now?” Peter asked.

 

“No!” Ned protested. “We have to watch them in the organic order, which means we’re watching _Rogue One_.”

 

“But I want to know what happens next!” Peter whined in a way that looked ridiculous in his 15 year old body, but his 13 year old brain didn’t realize it.

 

“And the first time you had to wait 2 years to find out. This time you only have to sit through a singular movie before you’re caught up. If you ask me, you’re being spoiled.” Ned said, spoken as a true Star Wars superfan.

 

“Fine. Is this one as good as the last one, though?”

 

“Kind of. It’s good, but in a different way.” 

 

“Huh.” Said Peter. As he went to put in the DVD, Aunt May came into the room to see the butter soiled couch.   


“You boys better be cleaning that popcorn up once you’re done.” She said, half-jokingly, but both of the boys could tell they would be in trouble if they didn’t do what she had asked. 

 

“Yeah.” Peter laughed as he pressed play on the DVD player. “I don’t think I’d want to feel the wrath of Uncle Ben if he came home to find his couch covered in Ned and my grubby fingerprints.”

As soon as Peter said that, both Ned and Aunt May froze. 

 

“What time is he coming home, anyways?” Peter turned to his aunt. “He’s at work right, that’s why he wasn’t at the hospital. Right?”

 

Aunt May’s face was as white as a sheet. Peter’s heart started racing, because nothing felt right anymore.

 

“I think I should go.” Mumbled Ned, getting up from the couch. “We can finish the marathon later, Peter. I hope you feel better.” Ned moved across the room so quickly Peter wasn’t sure how he managed it, but he felt too nauseous to care. All of Ned’s DVDs stayed idly on the coffee table as Peter heard the shuffling of the front door.

 

“May?” Asked Peter. He was beginning to find it hard to breath properly. “May, where’s Ben? He’s coming home right?” Aunt May had crouched down to Peter’s level, steadying her nephew’s breathing. 

 

“Calm down, honey.” May said, but Peter saw the tears that began to form at the corner of her eyes. 

 

“You didn’t get a divorce, did you? Why won’t you just tell me he’s coming home.” Peter began to cry, and he felt the takeout and all that popcorn sitting heavy in his stomach. Every hair on his body seemed to stand on its end.

 

The next thing his aunt said caused Peter to vomit all over the living room carpet. 

 

His tears got heavier, and all Peter could do was listen as his worst nightmare became true, completely helpless to the outcome. 

 

Somehow, Peter ended up back in bed, head against a soaking wet pillow, with his Aunt sitting at his feet, rubbing his back.

 

This isn’t real. Peter thought.

 

_This isn’t real._


	3. 0.3

Peter woke up multiple times the next day, but each time he would force himself back asleep. The smell of Febreeze lingered in his room. May had sprayed it everywhere in attempt tocover up the vomit smell that seemed to follow Peter, as he refused to shower despite May’s plea’s. 

 

She didn’t push too much, though.

 

Peter wondered if he had been this bad the first time. 

 

At least the first time, Peter thought, he got to grieve. There must have been a funeral, where everyone came, and Peter got to cry along with everyone else.

 

How do you grieve someone that is already gone?

 

Peter had no idea. Soon enough, he had fallen back to sleep.

 

Peter was woken up by a conversation. A loud conversation, taking place through the thin walls.

 

“You should have taken him to me! Or at least called me, even after the fact. It’s bullshit that I had to find this out days after it already happened, and only from follow up when there had been not activity from him in three days.” The man was close to a shout. Peter didn’t think he’d heard the voice before, but something about it sounded familiar. Maybe, thought Peter, as his heart dropped to his stomach, this man was his aunt’s boyfriend.

 

The thought made him feel like he may throw up again. However his bodily functions were promptly distracted by the continuation of this conversation. 

 

Jeez, had the walls always been this thin?

 

“I’m sorry, was I supposed to discharge him from the hospital right away when they had asked him to stay? Wouldn’t that come off as just a little bit suspicious? And I’m sorry I didn’t contact you sooner, or at all, but if you hadn’t noticed, I’ve got a lot on my plate here. You weren’t really my top priority when my kid lost two years of his memory.” Aunt May was angry, Peter could tell that much. He could also tell that for whatever reason, they were talking about him.

 

“I don’t think you understand the threat this puts me at. If he finds that suit I gave him-“ 

 

“He won’t.” Interrupted May. “I took it. In fact- why don’t you hold on to it for now. He can have it back when he remembers.”

 

“Honestly, we shouldn’t be keeping this from him. He’s stronger than he was before, to discover this about himself right now could be catastrophic.” The man sounded angry too. Well maybe not angry- but definitely stressed.

 

What were they talking about? What was Peter supposed to discover about himself?

 

“Look, I know you think you know everything about everything, but I know my nephew. He’s hurting right now, and to do- to do whatever you’re planning on doing to _help him remember_ is going to put him through even more trauma than he’s already experiencing right now!”

 

Who was this guy, and what did he want to do to help Peter? Why did he want to help Peter? Peter sat up, and his heart raced as he continued listening.

 

“So instead you’re going to let him figure this all out by himself? What if, as precedented, Peter acts irresponsibly? What are you going to do then?” The man asked Peter’s aunt.

 

Peter didn’t know what he had done, but from the sounds of it, it seemed pretty bad. Maybe, maybe he had taken and sold drugs? As soon as he thought of it, he lost laughed. Peter didn’t think he had the guts to take drugs, much less sell them. Even if that was all true, he didn’t think it would ever be in the realm of possibility that May was in on it too. 

 

“I’ve made sure that he doesn’t have access to anything that may allow himself to put himself in danger. For right now, Peter will be fine.” May paused. “I know we’re at a risk here. He’s hurting, though, and I don’t want to put him through anything that might make it worse.” 

 

“I understand that, but what are we going to do if he doesn’t remember?” The man’s voice had quieted down, finally.

 

“The doctor said-“

 

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what the doctor said. Peter is unprecedented. This has never happened to someone like him.”

 

Someone like him? Peter’s mind was racing, but it couldn’t find any answers. The man continued talking.

 

“Look, May, I would really feel more comfortable if we could bring him in to see some of my people. They’re going to know a lot more about Peter specifically than the hospital or a family doctor. We don’t have to tell him anything. If you want, you can just tell him that he’s seeing a specialist, and I promise that we’ll play along. But…Peter’s a part of something bigger now, and it’s become my responsibility to keep him in check. I brought him into this, and he’s a bigger liability than any of the others. We just need to make sure that Peter isn’t acting recklessly. It’s whats best for everyone, including Peter.”

 

“Okay.” Said May. She sounded like she was near whispering, but Peter could still hear her clear as day. “Okay. Have somebody contact me with a time and I’ll make sure to bring him. I just want to make this as easy on him as possible. It’s not easy to go through any of this once, let alone twice.”

 

Peter wanted badly to get up, rush into the living room, and demand answers. Whatever May was talking about with this guy, it sounded like Peter should be a part of the conversation. What was so important that Aunt May had to keep it a secret? Especially when it directly involved Peter’s life. Shouldn’t he get to decide, not his aunt, along with some strange unknown man standing ten feet away from him?

 

But Peter knew he had to stay put. If Peter were to as much as make a noise, the conversation would stop, and Peter would be even more confused than he was in the first place. So he had to stay here, not move, and let things run their course. Whatever ‘specialist appointment’ Peter was going to be taken too would give him enough clues to at least piece something together. 

 

From the sounds of it, the man was getting ready to leave.

 

“I’ll have my people contact you. And don’t worry about that hospital bill, I’ll be covering it.” He said.

 

“Excuse me, but I am perfectly capable of paying my own bills.” Peter smiled, knowing all too well his aunt’s pride. “I refuse your charity.”

 

“It’s not charity.” Said the man. “It’s compensation. If Peter had have accepted my offer, he would be getting a salary. But he didn’t, so he’s not. He should be getting some sort of payment, and this was the least we could do.”

 

Silence.

 

“Fair enough.” Said May, curtly. 

 

“Thank you for your time, May.” Said the man, and Peter heard the front door finally close. He would wait at least another hour before exiting his bedroom. Peter had to be sure that his aunt wouldn’t know what he heard. In the meantime, his mind was too riled up to go back to sleep. There was an old computer siting at Peter’s desk, and he spent a good twenty minutes trying to crack the password before giving up. Peter had never had a computer before, so he had no idea what he would have chosen as a password. 

 

Despite that, Peter knew he had to get online. Other than just generally getting caught up on current events, Peter thought that maybe if he Googled himself or something, he could find clues as to what he had been doing these past couple years. If it’s not illegal, it’s bound to be on the internet. 

 

Peter knew he must have a phone, but he was almost certain the hospital gave it to May, and figured his chances of getting it back, at least now, were slim to none. He was going to have to operate sneakily if he wanted to figure out anything by himself. 

 

Peter didn’t come out of his room until May called him for dinner. In that time, he had searched every corner of his bedroom, looking for something, anything, that would lead him in the right direction. So far all he had found was biology notes. For some reason, about a year ago he had done some extensive research on spiders. That was neither interesting nor significant, and Peter found himself in the same place he was an hour ago, only even more beaten down.

 

As Peter sat down at the dining room table, he looked to his left at his uncle’s empty spot. While this mystery was a good distraction, Peter found himself not caring as he was reminded of the real problem at hand.

 

His throat was still sore from crying, but more tears began to well up in his eyes. May placed a plate of mashed potatoes and baked chicken in front of him, kissing the top of his head lightly. As Peter choked back tears, he tried to eat some of the potatoes, but failed miserably. 

 

His uncle had died, and he didn’t even remember it.

 

Suddenly, Peter’s heart stopped.

 

What if he had something to do with it?


	4. 0.4

The next few days were spent in a careful silence. It was the weekend, so Ned was able to come over to finish the last couple of Star Wars movies. While Peter had so much to say, so much to ask, he knew better than to say anything. Peter could tell his best friend knew more than he did about whatever was going on, he knew Ned that well. However, he also knew Ned well enough to know that if Peter were to brush the subject, he would be out the door in a millisecond.

 

This meant their conversation stuck mainly to Star Wars. 

 

“I don’t understand.” Said Peter. “I think I liked it, but I’m not really sure.” _Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi_ had confused Peter to no end, and he didn’t even know what questions to ask to improve his understanding. 

 

“We should probably watch it again. TLJ has a lot to unpack, and it takes at least two viewings to fully get it. It gets better every time, honestly. I’m still noticing new things each time I watch it.” Ned said, as he pressed play again on the DVD player. 

 

“How many times did we see it in theatres?” Peter asked.

 

Ned grinned at the question.

 

“Five.”

 

Peter laughed. 

 

Throughout the second viewing, Peter really tried to pay attention, but his mind kept on getting stuck in a loop. He was constantly finding himself staring at Ned rather than the screen. 

 

What did he know that Peter didn’t? The fact that his best friend probably knew the answers to everything he was supposed to know with no intention of telling him made Peter’s blood boil. He wanted to stand up, and demand that Ned tell him everything that had happened that was making his life so confusing. Peter wanted to yell and scream about how unfair his life was, and how best friends don’t keep important things from each other. 

 

Peter deserved to know.

 

This just didn’t seem _fair_.

 

Still, as Peter looked over at Ned, and how excited he was getting about his umpteenth viewing of Star Wars, he knew he should keep his mouth shut. This was probably pretty hard for Ned too, and Peter didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship. Plus, if he was going to figure all of this out, Peter knew he couldn’t take any chances. While Peter loved Ned and knew he would never intentionally do anything to hurt him, he knew he had a big mouth.

 

If he managed to make Ned forget he had lost his memory, something would slip out eventually. So for now, all Peter had to do was stare at the screen.

 

Another two and half hours of intergalactic adventures later, May called the two boys for dinner. 

 

Peter picked at his pork chop and listened to Ned and his aunt’s small talk, not knowing how to say anything that wouldn’t cause a gaping silence. 

 

“Anyways, I’ve maxed out my sick days this week and have to go back to work tomorrow.” May mentioned.

 

This caught Peter’s attention. If his aunt was going to work, Peter would have lots of time to put together some information without being caught. Maybe he could go to the library and use the public computers to at the very least look at the news.

 

Peter went cold. Maybe there would be something about Uncle Ben.

 

However, Peter’s dreams were crushed when he heard his aunt continue her train of thought.

 

“So Ned, you’re probably going to have to help Peter out a lot at school tomorrow.”

 

“Wait, what?” Peter interrupted.

 

Aunt May sighed, and Peter couldn’t really tell if it was a vocalization of sympathy, worry, or frustration.

 

“I know, Peter. I should have told you earlier, but I didn’t want to freak you out. I’ve already talked to the school, and all your teachers will know what’s going on. You won’t be called on in class or anything like that. All you have to worry about is getting caught up.”

 

Peter’s heart was beating. He was half worried, and the other half incredibly mad. He shot up from his seat.

 

“Why can’t I just stay here?” Peter demanded.

 

“The…the doctor said you shouldn’t be left alone in case something goes wrong.” Aunt May didn’t sound to sure, even as she spoke.

 

“So instead of being alone, you’re sending me to sit alone in class, at a school I’ve never even been to before?” Peter was trying to stay calm, but he was finding it hard to think. It seemed to angrier he got, the more he could feel. He felt like he could see every molecule, hear every heartbeat.

 

Peter glanced over at Ned, who looked stunned at Peter’s reaction to his aunt.

 

“Peter, please calm down. It’ll all be okay, Ned will be with you the whole time.” May said, cautiously. 

 

“Yeah!” Ned added, overly cheerfully. “We have all the same classes, and I can point everyone out to you and tell you all the weird gossip about them.” 

 

“What if someone tries to talk to me and I say something wrong?” Peter asked.

 

“Don’t worry about that.” Ned snorted. “Nobody talks to us anyways.”

 

“But what if…what if I get confused? Or I feel sick?” Peter asked, desperately trying to find a reason not to go. 

 

“Then Ned will take you to the nurse. But don’t worry, Peter. Those things are not going to happen.” May was calm as she spoke. She took the three plates, though Peter’s was barely touched, and headed to the kitchen. 

 

Peter sat back down, now feeling foolish for his outburst. He wasn’t going to find any answers in getting angry.

 

“Wait until you see Heather Richards.” Ned whispered as May walked away. 

 

“So?” Peter grunted. “What’s different from the last time I saw her?”

 

Ned motioned two massive breasts in front of his chest, and both the boys burst out laughing.

 

The next morning, oddly enough, didn’t feel new at all. Peter had cheerios for breakfast, like he did every morning. He brushed his teeth, showered, and gelled his hair. Finally, Peter grabbed his backpack (granted, he didn’t recognize it), and headed out his door. He met Ned on the sidewalk to walk to school. That had been Peter’s routine since he started to middle school, and nothing felt off about it.

 

Things started to feeling different as soon as Ned took the first steps in the opposite direction from their old school. 

 

“There is one upside to this, you’re not making me late every morning.” Ned grumbled.

 

“Do I usually?” Peter asked, surprised.

 

“You’re terrible at getting up on time now.” Ned said.

 

This confused Peter. He had never had issues getting up before, and he didn’t know why he would ever suddenly develop that problem. 

 

“Why am I terrible at waking up?” Peter asked, genially curious. 

 

“You just…stay up later than you used to.” Ned sighed. 

 

“Huh.” Peter said. He tried not to think too much of it. Most teenagers do that, Peter guessed, and it wasn’t that strange if he was staying up on his phone or something.

 

Peter really wished that May would just give his phone back. The longer she kept it away, the more suspicious he was getting.

 

“The school’s just around the next block.” Ned said, pointing in the direction of MidtownHigh School.

 

“Ned,” Peter laughed. “I know where the school _is._ I’ve lived here for like, as long as I can remember.”

 

“How should I know what you remember?” Ned groaned. “Let’s just hurry up. We’re probably going to have to go to the office for your locker combo. Unless you remember _that_ too?”

 

“Don’t be mean to me, I’m only 13.” Peter pouted.

 

“Ugh. Stop reminding me. This is possibly the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you. And trust me when I say for _you_ , that’s saying something.” Ned said.

 

“Why?” Peter prodded, but they were already at the school doors. 

 

Peter’s whole body felt on alert as he pushed open the concrete doors.

 

After the first class, Peter was feeling better. Ned was right, nobody did try to talk to them. It was partially relieving, but also kind of disappointing. Peter had always thought by the time he got to high school, he would be cool. 

 

Peter had imagined he would walk in to school and high five people in the halls, and laugh and talk with dozens of people in between classes. He would be super buff (weirdly, that part was true and had no impact on his coolness), and Peter and Ned would be the most popular kids in school.  


 

Peter kind of knew that was pretty much a fantasy world. And Ned was enough, at least to Peter. It would just be cool to live like a popular kid, at least once.

 

Realistically, Peter had just hoped he wouldn’t be a loser. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what some girl he didn’t recognize called him when she sat down next to him at lunch.

 

“Hey losers.” The unnamed girl quipped at Peter and Ned as she slid down the lunchroom bench to get closer to them.

 

“Uh.” Ned looked startled, and Peter wondered if this was a normal occurrence. “Hey MJ, um…just so you know, uh, Peter-“

 

“I know.” Said MJ. “I overheard the teachers talking about it this morning in the office.”

 

“Oh.” Said Ned. “Wait, why were you in the office this morning.”

 

MJ just shrugged. 

 

“I like knowing the teacher’s gossip. I use it to capitalize on higher grades.” She said.

 

Man, thought Peter. This girl was _weird_. Peter thought he liked her, though. She was just weird enough that it was interesting without being creepy.

 

“Anyways, Peter.” MJ turned to him. “I’m Michelle Jones, but you can call me MJ. ‘Cause everyone does. Including you.” She held out her hand for Peter to shake, which he did.

 

“Oh-kay.” Peter managed to stumbled out. He looked at Ned for help, who just shrugged as he ate his lunch.

 

“I just wanted to let you know that just because you can’t remember your life doesn’t mean you can stop coming to scholastic decathlon practices. We can’t have a repeat of earlier this year. Oh yeah, and I can say that because I’m in charge of the team. So you have to listen to me.”

 

Peter just started at her blankly. Ned wasn’t helping.

 

“Oh! Sorry, you don’t remember. You basically stopped showing up, and then quit, then rejoined, then disappeared in Washington DC. But it was fine, ‘cause we won anyways.” MJ said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t need you though, you’re the best at physics.”

 

“Um.” Said Peter. He didn’t know if what he should be saying. “I don’t know if I should go anywhere without Ned, cause I might get lost.”

 

“You won’t be, ‘cause Ned’s on the team too. He’s our pop culture guy. And he-“ MJ paused to look pointedly at Ned. “has to be there as well.” MJ started to get up. “So you both better be there at 3:15. Got it, Pete?” 

 

Peter nodded his head. 

 

“Okay.” Peter replied, but she seemed to disappear out of thin air. Peter turned to Ned. “Why didn’t you help me with that?”

 

“Sorry.” Ned said, nonchalantly. “She scares me.”

 

Overall, Peter was surprised with how much information he understood. He had thought that he would be completely lost in classes, but it’s almost like all the information was stored in a completely different place than his memories. 

 

“That’s because it is.” Ned had googled the information when Peter brought it up. “Or like, kind of. It looks complicated, but it sounds like losing your memories doesn’t make you stupid or anything.” 

 

Peter was relieved, because he was afraid that MJ girl would attack him if he didn’t remember all the physics that he was supposedly so good at. Although at decathlon practice, Peter was shocked to find that MJ didn’t make him answer a single question. 

 

“Why have you been hounding me for the past 30 minutes?” Some kid, Flash, Peter thought, asked MJ after he got his 9th question wrong in a row. “Why haven’t you asked Penis Parker over there anything?”

 

“Because.” MJ looked at Peter for half a second. “Peter doesn’t need the practice.” And she went back to hounding Flash about algebra. 

 

Peter frowned, why had that Flash kid called him ‘ _Penis Parker_ ’? Part of Peter thought he was probably just insecure because his own name was stupid, but it still kind of hurt to be made fun of by someone Peter didn’t even know. On the way home, though, Ned told Peter to ignore Flash.

 

Apparently he was always like that. 

 

Peter played awake that night, trying to figure out everything that had happened to him that day. Why was he staying up so late? What was MJ talking about about Washington DC? 

 

What the hell happened this year? 

 

Peter thought he might be a bit closer to finding out, though, when Aunt May walked into his room to let him know he had a ‘specialist doctor’s appointment’ at 5pm the next day.


	5. 0.5

The next school day went by as fast as it possibly could. Peter managed to get through the morning without a hitch, although he was grateful that teachers were instructed not to call on him.

 

Not because he didn’t think he could answer the questions (he was catching up surprisingly fast) , but because Peter could not focus. At all. All Peter thought about was what the doctor’s appointment was going to be like. Where was Aunt May going to take him? Surely, no matter who that strange man was in his apartment the other day, May wouldn’t put Peter in danger. Would she?

 

Peter couldn’t even pay attention at lunch, even with everything that was going on. Ned told Peter they had to sit with the decathlon team that day, because MJ had called a group meeting. Peter didn’t even make an attempt to pretend he was listening, and his teammates caught on pretty quickly. 

 

“Parker isn’t even paying attention!” Flash grumbled at MJ. “You always treat him like some genius who doesn’t need practice. What are you, like, in love with him?”

 

“Are you?” MJ said, unfazed by the comment. “I will agree with you on this occasion, though.” MJ turned to Peter. “Peter, pay attention.” 

 

“Huh?” Peter’s head snapped up to look at his teammates, who were all very pointedly staring at him. 

 

“See, he wasn’t even listening! Why are you dozing off, Parker? Couldn’t sleep last night?” Peter thought Flash seemed comically angry for something that had virtually no affect on him. Were you out with your old pal Spider-Man?”

 

“What?” Asked Peter. Peter would have assumed it was just another strange, half-assed insult, but he wasn’t so sure when he felt Ned tense up next to him.

 

“Haven’t seen him lately, either? What happened to your little imaginary friend Peter? You’re such good friends, I can imagine you would know where he’s disappeared to.” Flash smirked, and Peter could only give a blank stare back.

 

“Shut up, Flash.” Ned grumbled. “Come on Peter, I need to get to biology early to talk to Ms. Herra.” 

 

Ned grabbed Peter’s arm firmly, although Ned must have been very weak, because Peter barely moved from his friend’s yank. Still, Peter didn’twant to be without Ned, and he didn’t particularly want to be around Flash anymore, so he happily followed. 

 

“What was he talking about?” Peter asked his friend softly, taking long strides to catch up with Ned’s fast pace.

 

“Nothing, Peter. It’s stupid. Don’t…” Ned sighed. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

Peter was tired of this. How was he going to move on with his life if everyone is keeping secrets from him. 

 

“Stop treating me like a little kid!” Peter near shouted as they walked through the halls. The one senior in the near-empty hallway looked at them funny, and quickly walked away. “You’re supposed to be my best friend, Ned. I can deal with my aunt keeping secrets from me, but not you. We tell each other everything, and it’s unfair that you won’t even tell my own secrets.”

 

Ned seemed slightly taken aback at Peter’s reaction, however somehow not surprised at his words.

 

“Okay. It’s really not that interesting, though.” Ned sighed. “Flash was just making a joke about you being friends with Spider-Man because I said you were once to try to impress a girl. It’s my fault, and it’s stupid. You should pretty much just ignore everything that comes out of Flash’s mouth.”

 

“Oh.” Peter said, disappointed in the answer. 

 

Turns out high school is even worse than Peter thought it was. Ned must have felt pretty bad that Flash would use something he said to insult his best friend. Peter was kind of sorry he had asked at all.

 

“See? When I say things aren’t a big deal, just believe me. Please?” Ned sounded like he was getting upset, and Peter really wanted to let it go, but he still had one more burning question.

 

“I’m sorry. I should have believed you, but I really don’t know who Spider-Man is. Is he famous?” Peter asked. 

 

Ned started to laugh.

 

“What’s so funny?” Peter was getting annoyed again. Nothing ever made any damn sense anymore. 

 

“Nothing.” Ned sobered up. “Spider-Man is a superhero. He usually works on small stuff in Queens, although he has fought with the Avengers a couple of times.”

 

“Oh.” Peter said, again. “I get that. It would be really cool if we actually were friends with a superhero.”

 

Before Ned could reply, the fifth period bell rang and the boys finally headed to biology. Peter felt mostly at peace at that moment, or at least at peace with is relationship with Ned. He was then sure that Ned wasn’t going to be the answer to the mystery that had become his life. That calmed down Peter for a moment, but as the biology teacher began droning on, Peter got caught in a cycle of thought again.

 

Although it was nice to know that Ned wasn’t keeping secrets, that left his doctor’s appointment later that day as his only clue. He wondered where he was going, and who that strange man was. 

 

Why was Peter so special, anyways?

 

Finally, Peter made a mental note to look up Spider-Man. If Ned was going to lie about Peter being friends with a super-hero, he at least better be a cool one.

 

The rest of the school day seemed to drag on slower than ever. Peter spent the whole afternoon staring at the clock, which although he knew would make time seem even slower, he really couldn’t help it. Every second brought him closer to 5pm, and every second closer to 5pm he was, the closer he was to finding out his past.

 

When the bell rang at 3pm, he couldn’t get out of the school fast enough. Peter could barely stand still as he waited for Ned to get his books from his locker. In all honestly, Peter would have left without Ned if he didn’t think his aunt would skin him alive for it.

 

Although, if Peter knew as soon as he got home all he would be doing is pacing around the house. 

 

Waiting.

 

So maybe it wasn’t all that bad if Ned took nearly fifteen minutes to saunter out the school doors. Ned didn’t seem all that anxious to get home. He was walking painstakingly slow.

 

“Do you want to come over to mine?” Ned asked Peter as they walked along the sidewalk. “You could meet Frodo!” Ned seemed suddenly excited.

 

“Who’s Frodo?” Peter asked.

 

“He’s my cat. I got him like a year ago, so he’s not really a kitten anymore. You kind of missed his glory days.” Ned went on about his cat, and Peter tried his best to listen, though his mind kept drifting off.

 

“Sorry.” Said Peter. “I have to go home. Aunt May is taking me to some sort of specialist this afternoon.”

 

“Weird.” Said Ned.

 

“Yeah. I do want to meet Frodo, though. I need to make sure you’re not abusing that poor little animal.”

 

“Excuse me?” Asked Ned.

 

“Have you ever put it in cosplay?” Peter asked pointedly. 

 

“Yes.” Ned said, with no shame.

 

“See! That’s weird.” Peter said.

 

“You helped me sew the costume.” Ned laughed. 

 

“I don’t really blame that Flash guy for think we’re losers.” Peter mumbled as they walked up to Peter’s apartment building.

 

“Well, do you wanna come over tomorrow after school?” Ned asked.

 

“Yeah.” Peter said, already distracted by his thoughts. “Yeah that’ll…probably work.”

 

“Ok, well I’ll see you then…” Ned might have kept talking, but Peter wouldn’t have known, since he only nodded and walked into the building. Looking at the clock in the lobby, Peter noticed it was only 3:30. He had an hour and a half before he had to be home.

 

He could’ve gone upstairs, and watched TV until his aunt came home. Peter knew that’s what he should’ve done. Peter was almost overly aware of how that is what he should have done.

 

However, it was only 3:30. And the library was only four blocks away.

 

Peter had to take this chance and run with it.

 

Peter hid behind a plastic plant so that he could see out the window, but nobody could see him. If Peter was going to make a run for it, he had to make sure Ned would be long gone first. He didn’t see his friend outside, but Peter figured he should wait a few minutes, staying behind the plant until he was sure Ned would be down the street and around the corner. 

 

“Peter?” Peter heard an aged voice from the opposite end of the lobby. He looked over to see Mr. Bolowski, one of his neighbours, staring at him oddly.

 

Well, it was nice to know that the man had lasted the last couple of years. 

 

“Um…nice to see you Mr. Bolowski.” Peter said sheepishly, staying behind the plant throughout. 

 

“It’s nice to see you Peter. I rarely see you anymore, boy. What in the world are you doing now?” The elderly man chuckled at Peter's position.

 

“Oh.” Peter straightened up, blushing, and removed himself from behind the plant. "Nothing, really.”

 

“Sure looks like it.” The old man winked at Peter, in true old man fashion.

 

“I was just…looking for someone.” Peter quickly defended himself. “In fact, I should probably be getting going.” Peter tried not to look too conspicuous, although he wasn’t sure if did all that good a job. In an embarrassed huff, Peter decided it must have been a few minutes, and that he better leave now before Mr. Bolowski got suspicious. 

 

“Nice to see you, sir!” Peter shouted as he ran out the door. 

 

That was close, and hopefully Mr. Bolowski wouldn't say anything to May about what just happened. Peter didn’t think he would, because for an old man the guy was pretty chill.

 

Peter resisted the urge to run as he made his way down the street. He knew drawing any more attention to himself would be all kinds of bad. So Peter walked, as slow as he possibly could without actually driving himself insane. 

 

The library was four blocks away, running there would be almost pointless.

 

Peter sighed with relief when opening the massive library doors. They felt a lot lighter than he had last time he remembered opening them. In Peter's mind, that was only a week ago, but in reality it had been a long time. 

 

The good thing about libraries, Peter thought, is that they don't really change. Sure they get new books, and throw out the old ones, but everything is always pretty much in the same place. The old PCs had been replaced with new apple desktops, but they still did the same thing. 

 

Once Peter sat down at the last unoccupied computer (thank god, Peter would probably go insane if he had to wait even another minute), he had no idea what to even type in to the search bar. 

 

Peter figured he should start with his name. Unfortunately, that didn’t surface much. There wasn’t much that came up of interest. A couple of articles about the decathlon team mentioned all of their names. 

 

**‘Local Queens Students Win National Title’**

 

**'Liz Toombes Leads Midtown High to Victory’**

 

The articles were all from local newspapers, and pretty short. Some had pictures. There was one from the championship in Washington DC, but Peter found it odd that he wasn't in the picture, even though the article mentioned him as there.

 

Peter also couldn't help but look at the girl who was prominently featured in all the photos. Peter couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, but also, he didn’t recognize her from the decathlon meetings from the past couple of days. 

 

The articles all said that she was the head of the team. As far as Peter knew, that was MJ. He had never heard anyone mention this Liz girl. She must’ve left, for some reason or another. Peter couldn’t imagine why she would quit the team after how great they seemed to be doing. 

 

Still, none of this told Peter anything that he didn’t already know. Next he went to CNN, to at least try and find something that could help him make sense of the world. All he could see was politics, which in all honesty, Peter had no interest in. None of the names in the articles meant anything to Peter, and none of them seemed to make a difference in the past- or present of Peter Parker.

 

Still, there was one more name he thought he ought to look up.

 

Searching the name Spider-Man got a lot more results than Peter's own.

 

Peter clicked on the first video in the search results. _Spider-Man hanging around Queens._ It was a compilation video, showing multiple videos, mostly far away cell phone clips of a red-and-blue suited hero hoping around the local area. He definitely was spider themed, with webs shooting out of his hands allowing him to swing across buildings. There were a lot of flips, too. 

 

Peter felt strange watching the video. It all seemed so familiar, although that could probably be chalked up to all the videos being taken in such a familiar place. Peter really couldn’t believe that Queens had it’s very own superhero. Peter had always been a bit of a superhero super-fan, and there was now one in his very own home. Sure, there had always been heroes in New York City, but none of them dealt with the little stuff. They were always fighting big alien beams coming from the sky and then disappearing for a few years.

 

This Spider-Man guy seemed to be around everyday, and so close to home. Some of the videos were even taken less than a block away from Peter's apartment building.

 

Peter was about to turn the video off, but stopped when a new clip began that caught his eye. Spider-Man was sitting on the roof of Peter’s very own building, legs dangling off. He was laughing, talking to someone, but you couldn’t see then from the angle the video was shot. Peter couldn’t look away. Who was this guy talking to on his roof?

 

Peter couldn't shake the feeling that it was him. That maybe, just maybe, Ned wasn't lying when he told Flash that Spider-Man and Peter were friends. Ned didn’t tend to lie to look cool, so it would make a lot more sense if he was telling the truth.

 

But why in the world would Ned hide something like this from Peter? 

 

Then again, Peter thought, maybe Ned was jealous. Maybe Peter was too busy with his friend Spider-Man to hang out with Ned, and Ned was taking his chance to cut Spider-Man out of Peter's life. Ned might be tired of Peter ignoring him to hang out with his superhero best friend.

 

Or maybe that's ridiculous. But Peter couldn’t help but feel that it must be him on that roof with Spider-Man. Weirdly enough, it was almost like Peter remembered it. Or not exactly remembered it, but it seemed way too familiar to let go. 

 

Peter went to search for more videos, maybe some that might clue in to who this Spider-Man guy was. Although in a quick glance to the top right corner of the screen showed Peter that it was nearly 4:30. 

 

He had to get home. Peter was almost disappointed for a second, before he remembered where he was going. This was going to bring Peter much closer to the truth. Closer than any google search, or weird comment from some bully at school.

 

This appointment was going to tell Peter who he was, he decided. Or at least help him figure out who he was so important to some random man talking to his aunt in his apartment. 

 

Peter walked out of the library confident. He was steps away from his future. Or, erm- his past.


End file.
